Weems Finally Forced To Pay Up?

One thing, though, is already certain: wherever Weems plays next season, his entire salary will belong to him. Three years and three court judgments later, he finally paid back the thousands of dollars he borrowed from a former Canadian Football League all-star.

As Maclean’s reported last year, Weems quietly took advantage of a lucrative but little-known enterprise: companies that loan wads of cash to elite college athletes, on the condition that the money be repaid (with interest) as soon as the client inks a pro contract. In his case, the lender was Felix Wright, a one-time Hamilton Tiger-Cat who went on to play nine seasons in the NFL before dabbling in the financial services industry. Back in 2008, after a standout senior season at the University of Arkansas, Weems and Wright signed a contract of their own: a cash loan worth US$23,500 (at eight per cent interest) plus the use of a Ford Taurus—“all of which,” according to court documents, “was to be repaid and returned respectively when the said defendant was selected as a draft pick on a National Basketball Association team.”

That didn’t happen. After draft day, Weems reneged, forcing Felix Wright to file lawsuits on both sides of the border to recoup his dough. Only now, three full seasons into his NBA career, has Weems settled the account. “He made $900,000 last year,” says Morton Adelson, Wright’s Toronto lawyer. “Why he didn’t deal with this sooner, I don’t know.”

Wright won a default judgment, including an order that compelled the Nuggets to garnishee Weems’s wages. But by the time the paperwork was filed, he had been traded again—first to Milwaukee, then to Toronto. Wright, who lives in Ohio, had no choice but to hire a Canadian lawyer and file a fresh lawsuit, this one demanding nearly US$35,000 in damages ($29,745 for the loan, plus interest; $2,250 for the car repairs; and $2,500 in legal fees). Again, Weems didn’t bother mounting a defence—and again, a default judgment was registered against him (the court settled on a figure close to US$26,000).

Shortly after the ruling, Weems was signed to a one-year US$854,000 contract with the Raptors, but he didn’t exactly jump at the chance to abide by the court’s decision. Wright’s lawyer had to secure a separate order that forced Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) to hand over 20 per cent of his paycheques until the loan was reimbursed. The first instalment arrived in June 2010.

That wasn’t the end of the court battle, however. In August, a lawyer for MLSE wrote to Wright’s attorney, saying the company “will take steps to ensure that Mr. Weems pays the full amount owing forthwith”—approximately $24,000—and if that wasn’t possible, “MLSE will itself make the payment and make its own arrangements with Mr. Weems.” Wright’s lawyer wrote back, pointing out that with interest, legal fees and the unpaid car repairs, the actual amount owing was nearly $37,000, not $24,000.

MLSE balked at the calculation, calling it “baseless and vexatious” and “far in excess of the amount actually owing under the judgment.” Both sides eventually settled on an acceptable figure (the exact amount isn’t disclosed in court documents), but yet again, the case wasn’t quite finished. In December, with the season now under way, Wright’s lawyers won a third default judgment, this one for $6,000 to cover the remaining legal fees and the still unpaid auto repair bill.

After another application to garnishee Weems’s wages, the final payment was recently forwarded to the Toronto sheriff’s office—the last stop on its way to Wright’s bank account. “They made me jump through hoops,” says Adelson, his lawyer. “But it’s almost over.”

Roger Montgomery, Weems’s agent, did not return a phone call from Maclean’s. His client, according to his Twitter account, is back home in Arkansas—“Chilling in West Memphis with the squad!!!!” and waiting for his next offer.

It amazes me why Weems didn't take care of such a petty loan (for how much he was making). It amazes me more that he didn't even bother to muster a defense, losing default judgement after default judgement. Didn't want to pay the money back, didn't want to defend his actions -- just didn't seem to care one bit. Not a very glowing review of his character/maturity.

It's hard to guess what his other obligations were. Could of had other loans, credit cards, family bills... he could of very easily been living check to check even with a nice contract.

Does that reflect better on his maturity? =p The point is he entered into a contract for a cash loan and not only did he refuse to pay back something that surely preceded any purchases he made to fully exhaust his hefty salary (considering it was supposed to be repaid after the draft), but he didn't even bother to show up to court. His speculative obligations have no bearing on his ability to do that.

Did he miss court? I've done that a few times, not for anything that large, but it still ended up costing me more than being there. It still does not really move me that much, so he is not that proactive with his business matters, he is basketball player, I am not that surprised.

Forget who it was, but some player in Philadelphia bought a house off of Allen Iverson and when he took possession he found all this cash tugged under carpets, under floor boards, and odd areas around the house. In the closet there were still boxes and boxes of timberland shoes, and there was an average Mercedes still in the garage.

(lawsuits of this sort would not surprise me for even bigger stars than Weems)

Incredible responses on the issue from "Money" Weems!! Imagine if he had taken a loan from a shark he might have had a missing kneecap by now. That mlse got in on the action did not spur him to settle either. Says something about his character and how he is likely to deal with his teammates. Should he continue to be a Raptor?

Did he miss court? I've done that a few times, not for anything that large, but it still ended up costing me more than being there. It still does not really move me that much, so he is not that proactive with his business matters, he is basketball player, I am not that surprised.

Forget who it was, but some player in Philadelphia bought a house off of Allen Iverson and when he took possession he found all this cash tugged under carpets, under floor boards, and odd areas around the house. In the closet there were still boxes and boxes of timberland shoes, and there was an average Mercedes still in the garage.

(lawsuits of this sort would not surprise me for even bigger stars than Weems)

Yes, default judgement means he failed to take action (i.e. respond to summons or show up in court). He did it all three times the lender tried to recover from him.

Incredible responses on the issue from "Money" Weems!! Imagine if he had taken a loan from a shark he might have had a missing kneecap by now. That mlse got in on the action did not spur him to settle either. Says something about his character and how he is likely to deal with his teammates. Should he continue to be a Raptor?

Good point with the MLSE bit. I think most responsible individuals wouldn't want their employer to get involved, but it was like he really didn't care. Do whatever you want to do, garnish my wages, but I won't lift a finger to expedite the matter or to save myself extra fees, basically.

As for his tenure as a Raptor, had he been super hard-working both on and off the court, I'd give him a pass, but when his on-court behavior reflects his off-court, it doesn't make him the best bet to figure it all out.

Dubious Raptor Moment #23

Oak_1_1_1 Only on a pussy-ass team like the Raptors would whuppin’ two gobler-basters not worth their grissel qualify as a dubious muthafuckin’ moment. But I should have expected this shit. When I rolled up into Toronto in ‘98, the only pimp on the team was Jackie Christie, and the ho’s weren’t scared one goddamn bit. That shit needed to change.

So what did I do? Whup ass is what.

First there was Jeff McGinnis. But fo’ real, when word spread that this bitch was trying to move in on this fine Blaxican trick I was hittin’ at the time, I had no goddamn choice. You try to flab-stab another man’s chickenhead, you deserve to get your ass fanned out. That said, I didn’t plan on beatin’ in his ass during the pre-game, I planned on beatin’ his ass the first fuckin’ time I saw it.

Then there was Tyrone Hill. Now the only thing this cootchie-ripper could do worse than shoot free throws was shoot dice. I barely took off my fur coat at his stank-ass crib in Phillie and I was already up $54,000. But fitty-k plus no-pay equals you getting your fuckin’ wig split son, even if you do serve me some fine-ass ribs. When he showed up in Toronto without my money, his ass should have known better.